From the personal diaries of Selina Kyle, renowned cat burglar extraordinaire
8-13-39
Dear diary,
Tonight’s the big night! I’m gonna hit it big and finally I’ll be able to live comfortably while prowling the streets for Holly’s killer. There’s a huge chance I’ll be caught and then this will end up being my last entry, so… I’ll keep it brief. If anyone finds this, well, just know I did everything in my power to make things right.
From the confessions of Bruce Wayne
The night had come then, and I had managed to keep my nerves fully in check. Alfred dropped me off at the entrance to the botanical gardens exhibit, and in accordance with my instructions, he was to go and wait at the Museum’s D entrance and to keep a lookout for anything or anyone he deemed suspicious. If he spotted something out of the ordinary, he was to run to a payphone immediately and call the police. I had my suspicions that if Falcone’s men were planning to aid Crane in this latest exploit, they would attempt to bar off the attendees’ escape at this location.
I arrived stag, so as not to be hassled by a date during the course of the mission. I had been one of the last ones to arrive, and I made sure to remain somewhat at the back of the crowd so I could count the number of people in attendance. 58 was the total, and it was a lucky break, as we had only 63 masks in the bags.
“Fancy seeing you here,” I jumped at the sound of a familiar voice beside me. I turned to look upon the face of Miss Vicky Vale. But of course, I should have known she would be working tonight. It was, in truth, a newsworthy affair.
“Vicky, good to see you,” I said awkwardly. “No Harvey tonight?”
“Why, Bruce, is that jealousy I detect?” she smiled playfully. “No dates when I’m covering a story. It’s one of my rules.”
“I see. And what are these other rules?”
“Well, the next one would be not to give all my rules away in one breath,” she winked. “Oh, they’re starting the tour. Catch you later!” With that, she pushed her way rudely to the front of the crowd, and I breathed a sigh of relief, as this confirmed I would not be shackled to her side all night.
The tour began, and we made our way through the gardens exhibit without incident. I had stayed on high alert all throughout, just in case my calculations had been wrong. So far, at least, they had been on the mark.
At the conclusion of the gardens tour, we made our way through the Museum, starting from the front (or A entrance), and moving our way through the halls towards the D area where the new gem collection exhibit was being held. I listened in on a few of the conversations throughout the night, and it did indeed seem that many of these people either were currently or had previously been working for the University. A good many of them likely knew Crane by face, and it made me somewhat uneasy that I still did not.
We reached the main event at 5 minutes to 9 of the clock. The tour guide began with an opening speech, informing us who had been responsible for bringing this prized collection to Gotham. I scanned the room for a clock, and by luck, there was one above the entranceway. I watched as the second hand ticked its way round, and tried my best to ignore the panic that was beginning to set into my mind. 3 minutes left, I need to find where Gordon stashed the bags!
I noticed a few security guards placed around the large room. Two were at the entrance, two along the hallway entrance to the C building, and… perhaps curiously, none guarding the security office door. I could only hope this to mean that Gordon was already in pursuit of the ventilation room. I focused back upon the task at hand. Search, Bruce… where are the bags?
There was a security desk placed in the far corner of the room, right in front of the office, which was spacious enough that they could be stored behind it without anyone’s notice. He would have had a hard time getting them there without anyone’s notice, but Gordon was clever. Or, at least, I had assessed him to be clever. I moved my way Eastward through the crowd, attempting not to draw attention to myself as I did so. As I got closer to the desk, I noticed a small notepad placed at the corner of the table, facing outward and leaning against a stack of books in an upright position. Odd, as its location and direction allowed it to be read from the middle of the room. Written upon it were the letters B and M. I took that to mean either Batman, or bag of masks. In any case, I was quite assured I had the right idea of it.
Another look towards the clock, 2 minutes until 9pm. The tour guide presented the first item for inspection, and the crowd of people stood upon their tiptoes to get a good look. One of the guards at the building’s entrance was staring hard at a guard located at the C hallway. I looked at him then, and noticed they were signaling to one another. Falcone’s men. The other two guards appeared unassuming as can be. I felt droplets of sweat begin to trickle down my forehead.
One minute. Falcone’s guards glanced towards the clock, again looking back at one another. 20 seconds. 15… 10… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
The guard at hall C took out his baton and clubbed the guard to his left. Immediately, he pulled down the security gate, blocking off the escape as he locked himself out of our area and out of our sights. The guard at the main entrance also clubbed his man, and opened the main doors, allowing 4 of Falcone’s men into the room as he took his leave. They were armed with guns, as I had expected, and wore gas masks. It was all happening as I had deduced. The crowd began to panic, gasping and catching their breaths as they slowly realized something was amiss.
One of the gangsters spoke out, “Alright, on the floor!”
I reached for my smoke bomb then, but the strangest thing happened… a different smoke bomb went off instead. I felt for the one in my pocket, and it was indeed still there. Who had done this? I hadn’t the time to wonder, I had to act fast! The smoke filled the room quickly, cloaking the crowd from sight and causing a few to cough as it agitated their lungs. I dove for the desk and slid overtop of it. I then opened the bags, one by one, feeling for my armor. Lastly, I removed it and threw each bag overtop the desk towards the now squealing and panicked attendees. Falcone’s men yelled hopelessly at them to quiet down as the innocents tried to piece together what was happening.
“Masks…? These are gas masks!” someone yelled.
The scared voices escalated louder, and I could hear echoing footsteps upon the floor tiles as the guests attempted in a blind state to acquire one of the newly discovered items.
I hesitated. I wanted so badly to go after Crane, but I could not chance leaving these poor souls alone with the gunmen. With my uniform now properly placed upon myself, along with the gasmask piece Lucius had made for me, I scoured the outside of the perimeter where the smoke was thinnest. I spotted one of them and ran towards him… I grabbed him by the back of his collar and slammed his head against one of the display cases. He was out!
This action caught the attention of the next nearest gunman, and I saw through the clouds as he aimed his weapon left and right and left again in search of my profile. I gave him no time to squeeze the trigger, as I kicked out his leg and hammered a fist down upon his head. 2 down!
The panicking voices hid my movements just as effectively as the smoke. Upon seeing my third foe, I caught him from behind in a choke and cut off his air supply. One more.
One of the attendees stumbled into me, causing him to squeal in alarm. I merely pushed him back towards the crying crowd, out of my way. The smoke was dissipating now, I was running out of time. Where was that fourth man?
I spotted him then, running towards the security office. I lunged after him, tripping over one of the displays as I did so. The man opened the office door and darted through, attempting to slam the thing behind him. I caught it by the handle just in the nick of time, pulling with both arms and causing him to relinquish his grasp from the other side. He fell backwards and hit the ground as I moved into the room with him. He gawked up at me in utter terror, screaming incoherent sounds at me. I reached down to grab him by the collar.
“Where’s Crane?”
He was too frightened to say anything, but his eyes rolled sideways and I followed them to another door on the opposite side. I knocked him unconscious and waltzed to the door, briefly examining a small printed map posted along the wall to the right of it. I was close, as the long hallways behind this door led to the ventilation room.
When I opened the door, I was immediately struck with the sight of what I can only describe as a massacre. A guard lay against the left wall of the hallway, blood seeping from several large gashes all along his body. His throat (the fatal blow), his torso, his right arm, and his chest. He had been dead for several minutes, the blood already drying along the slits of his uniform. It wasn’t Gordon, thankfully, but I felt a pang of sympathy for the fellow battering my mind for him as I raced down the long hall.
I turned left onto another passageway, and there, I did see Gordon. He was similarly hunched against a wall, blood pooling around him.
“Gordon!” I yelled as I ran to him.
He had been stabbed cleanly through the left shoulder, and a matching slice could be seen along his right abdomen. He held his shoulder and looked up at me with torrents of sweat trickling down his face. With his right hand he offered me his firearm.
“Wait here,” I declined his offer and moved towards the ventilation room door, trying my utmost to ignore the sickening sounds of my friend’s labored breathing. I kicked the door down, using all of my might. It crashed open rather easily, but there was no one inside.
“Down there!” Gordon rasped against his pain.
I looked to him and he gestured further down the hallway. I studied my surroundings more thoroughly, noticing blood trails along the room.
“He got the jump on me somehow…” he lurched. “I blacked out from the pain for a few seconds, long enough for him to get away. I turned off his gas device when I came to.”
It was true, the small contraption in the ventilation fixture had been smashed into pieces. Good work, Gordon, I thought.
“Help is coming,” I assured him as I started my pursuit once more.
“Wait!” the Lieutenant strained.
I couldn’t wait. Every second counted, and so I was forced to ignore his plea. The hallway curved this way and then that way, more office rooms scattered on either side. I had only a brief few seconds to scan each room before moving onward.
And then… I spotted the scoundrel! He wore no mask this time, but he was too far ahead for me to study his features. In his hands, he carried something long with a sharp edge at one end of it. He saw me and ran, squeaking in alarm as he did so. I was much faster than he was, and had steadily been gaining on him when the hallway before us came to an abrupt end. Along the wall was a stairway, the sign beside it read: ROOF. He launched himself upon the steps, climbing 2 and sometimes 3 at a time. It slowed him down more than he had hoped, however, and I gained another few steps towards him.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
He pushed through a door at the top of the stairs and emerged onto the rooftop. I followed only 4 or 5 lunging steps behind him now. I reached out and grabbed for him, clasping a hand around his right shoulder. He yelped and swung wildly at me, the weapon he carried just missing my head. He swung it again, and once more I was forced to dodge the attack. I could see it now, it appeared to be some sort of scythe. He cried in fright as he attempted to swing it again, but I caught it in my left hand this time and pulled it easily out of his grasp. I flung the weapon aside angrily, chasing him further and further towards the ledge of the roof. I could see his face now. A thin face, dim features and dull lines, and short light brown hair, disheveled as can be. He appeared to be in his early fifties, but almost sickly in appearance, as if the years had worn upon him more unkindly. His expression was none other than pure dread at the sight of me.
I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him straight into the air. He reached for something, and a squirting sound could be heard faintly. His toxic spray, just as before, only now I was wearing my gas piece, and it was rendering its contents ineffective.
“NOOO! No, no, no, no, no! Please!” he began to weep as a child might, shaking and whimpering as I held him firmly at length. I lowered him so our eyes could meet. I recognized the voice. This was indeed the same man from the docks, after all. This was Crane.
I shan’t lie to you. The only thing I felt at that moment was utter dissatisfaction. This sniveling, cowardly, weak and insufferable worm was nothing like I had remembered as a child. Back then, he appeared as an apparition, one sent by Satan himself to take from me everything I held dear. He had seemed taller, more sinister, and far more calculating. How could they possibly be one and the same?
“Rrrrrruughghghgh!” I roared my frustration, wanting so badly to throw the man down to his doom below. His tears fell upon my cowl, and it felt as though I were threatening none other than a defenseless child. I wanted so much to have my final revenge, to rid this world of the devil once and for all. But my mind could not come to terms with it - could not comprehend how this could be the same madman.
I set his feet down upon the ledge.
“Thank you! Oh, thank you!” he whined.
In that moment, it was as if a mirror had been placed in front of me. It was true I was becoming everything that he was, little by little, just as Alfred had surmised. When and where did it end? It had to be here and now, for I had finally come to know the truth of it all. I could not allow myself to become this… thing. I would not become the killer… the murderer, that he was. Murder, I now understood, was for cowards. I lessened my grip on him.
“THIS IS FOR HOLLY!” The words came too swiftly, and I could not react in time. The dreadful crack of a whip came from somewhere behind me, lashing my prisoner in the face and causing him to fall off balance. He fell back, arms outstretched, and the surprise of it all had interfered with my own steadiness. He was going to fall off the ledge, and I along with him unless I let go of his collar!
“NO!” I yelled, tightening my grasp once more, and we began our plunge into the air. He screamed in fear as we plummeted downwards, and I pulled him closer into my protective clasp. We hit the ground hard, though the grass and the soil lightened the impact. Crane landed on top of me, and I momentarily lost consciousness upon the collision. Had it not been for my helmet, I would most likely have died from the sheer force of it.
With fuzzy vision, I peered upward to the ledge of the rooftops. It was the woman… the same woman who had saved me previously. I could not see her face, as it appeared she wore the same mask as the one from the night we first met, but it was evidently her. A beautiful red dress hung from her slight form, blowing in the soft winds above. She stared down, no doubt fuming at me for having saved the man she had tried to kill. And then just as suddenly she was gone, out of sight.
I felt Crane wriggle from side to side, attempting to free himself of me. I held him harder to me, and he squeaked like a chipmunk. I coughed several times as I moved to an upright position. I had to remove the mouthpiece to better allow oxygen to course through my system once more. Reaching into my belt, I pulled out a small string of wire and began tying Crane’s hands behind his back. He cried mercilessly as I did so.
I then dragged the nuisance of a man across the courtyard to a statue of one of Gotham’s founding fathers, one Edward Elliot, and used yet more wire from my belt to tie him to the stone legs. I could vaguely see the flashing lights of the GCPD vehicles jutting out from around the front of the museum. I could not go back that way. Instead, I limped painfully to the other side of the yard and climbed the gate, emerging onto a darkened street. It took some time, but eventually I spotted Alfred driving around slowly, pursuing the treelines on the opposite side of the street. I managed to get to him without being spotted, and was of course greeted with the usual sharp rebukes the old man was known for.
From the personal diaries of Selina Kyle, renowned cat burglar extraordinaire
8-13-39
Dear diary,
I’m alive. Suppose I should be thankful for that, but I’m not. I failed Holly, AGAIN. This time though, I missed my last shot.
Everything was going so well. I schmoozed my way into the event on the arm of some schmuck, just like I said I would. We get to the gem collection, and wouldn’t ya know it? The armed guys show up with guns! No way they were taking MY loot, so I dropped the smoke bomb a bit earlier than I had planned.
I dunno what exactly happened, it was all pretty crazy. Suddenly there were gas masks being handed out, and I figured the best way to fit in was to follow suit and get one for myself. So I did that and grabbed whatever I could get my hands on in twenty seconds or less. I had already scoped out an exit, and the security office was completely unoccupied, so I escaped through there.
That’s when things got nuts. There was a guard all cut up to pieces in the hallway outside, and another one a bit further down who was in bad shape. Not my problem, so I left him. From there I wandered around checking a bunch of rooms, hoping to find some kind of weapon just in case I needed one. Best I could do was a bullwhip… looked like a cheap imitation prop for one of the exhibits, but at least I knew how to use it. Eventually I found my way to the roof, thinking maybe I could climb down somewhere. No such luck, so I had to turn back. I get back to the stairs and hear running steps coming my way… so I get back to the rooftops and hide behind some shedlike thingy.
Guess who showed up? The Batman and CRANE, of all people! I thought the Bat was gonna waste him, throw him off the roof, but then he has some sorta crisis of conscience or whatever and sets him down all nicelike. There was no way I was missing this chance. I snapped the whip at him, hoping the Bat guy would let go but the moron goes down with him instead. Saved his life. I was SO MAD I could have screamed!
That’s what I get for putting my faith in someone else. Hell, that’s what I get for saving the guy.
Anyway, I took my mask off and started wandering the halls again. One of the coppers found me, I told him I was with the rest of them and in my panic ran through the security office to get away. Got lost, simple as that. As soon as we were all outta there, safe and sound, I snuck off at the first chance I got.
So now I dunno what to do. Crane was taken into custody, ain’t no way I’m gonna get past Blackgate security to get to the chump. No choice but to lay low for a while. That sliced up cop who wasn’t quite dead might have told his pals about me, so they likely have a description of what to look for in searching for their jewel thief. And yeah, I came out BIG on that end. Gonna make a fortune on the black market with this stuff.
I don’t wanna give up on getting Crane. One day I’ll find a way to get him, but for now… it’s too risky to stick around. Think I’ll go on a big long trip somewhere for a while. I’ve always wanted to see Rome. And now I’ll finally be able to afford to go!
Oh! Also… I have a cat now. Little bugger hopped through my open window while I was away and ate all the food I accidentally left out. At first I was mad, but the damn thing was so cute, I couldn’t stay mad for long. I named her Holly
And there it is. Guess that’s how things are gonna hafta be for a while. I’ll be back someday though. Crane can count on it.
Signing off, for now.
Selina Kyle, Cat Burglar Extraordinaire. Ha!
From the confessions of Bruce Wayne
I had to find out what had occurred in the aftermath of the incident by reading the papers the next morning. All of the attendees had been recovered safely when Alfred had called the police to the scene (as were Crane and his accomplices, though there was no mention of their ties to Falcone and likely would not be in the future). It was determined that only small trace amounts of the toxin had managed to seep into the lungs of the would-be victims, thanks to the quick action of some unknowable do-gooder.
Vicky, having been witness to the fiasco, had given painstaking detail of the events, and even claimed to have caught sight of the Batman during the commotion. I ascertained that she was rather displeased with me when she expressed that ‘some of the more cowardly citizens abandoned the scene without even a second’s thought to the well being of the others’ - or something to that effect.
Jim Gordon was eventually reinstated to his position and even promoted to Captain for his efforts in thwarting Crane’s plans. While being interviewed a few days later, he described what led to his discovery of the villain’s plot and how he had planted the masks at the behest of a close friend, who had consulted him on the matter prior to that evening. I very much doubted the general public could make much sense of any of it, but I did believe the police department at large had an inkling as to whom he had been in counsel with.
The mystery of the avenging woman only grew more peculiar, however, as it was told to the papers by Jim Gordon that he believed she was the one responsible for a number of missing items from the gem collection. It is a rather striking coincidence that she would have a run-in with the very man she had been hunting, it must be said, but it would explain the unexpected smoke bomb that went off if she had merely intended a thieving that night.
As for the Batman, it was said that he played a rather large role in controlling the situation. It was also speculated that he had been the one to deliver Crane to the authorities unscathed.
“Are ye satisfied now?” Alfred folded his arms menacingly as I folded the newspaper up and placed it back upon the kitchen table.
“Indeed, I think I am.”
“And ye can finally be done with this business, yeah?”
“Well…” I smiled, despite myself.
“Ye gave your word, might I remind ye!” Alfred scolded.
“Right you are. And I intend on keeping that promise. However, I do believe I owe the good Captain my sincere thanks before setting off into the sunset.”
“Aye, I’ll fetch a pen and paper.”
“Not quite what I had in mind, I’m afraid.”
“Hmph!” the old butler scoffed and sauntered out of the room. “It would be just my luck you’d finally be caught on a final routine rendezvous.” There was just no pleasing that man.
And so, for what I believed would be the last time, I donned my Batsuit, and met with Gordon in the late hours of the night at his home.
“Knew you’d be out here, eventually,” Jim stepped out of the shadows onto the balcony.
“Glad to see you’re well,” I said, nodding to the splint he wore on his arm.
“Been better, but I’m alive. No thanks to you.”
“You didn’t warn me about the girl…” I changed the subject, wanting to avoid going on the defensive.
“I tried! You ran off when I tried waving you down, do you not remember that?” He struggled to keep his voice down, anger bubbling its way to the surface.
“You really think she was the one behind the robbery?”
“Yeah. What’s it to you?”
I thought about it for a moment before determining there was nothing else I could say on the matter. “Nothing.”
“So what happens now, huh? You got some other big fish to fry, or was Crane your swansong?”
“Lieu… Captain,” I corrected myself, “I came to turn myself in.”
“You wha? Turn your… the hell’s the matter with you?” Jim spat his cigarette towards my face in utter indignation.
“I know you’ve already determined my identity. I want to give myself freely. I couldn’t stand it if the police raided my home, Al-”
“For crying out loud,” he heaved. “Yeah, there was a guest list, and yeah I asked for it thinking I could maybe piece together who you or any of the people helping you might be. But after all you did in there… what good would I be doing this city if I took you down too?” At those words, he reached for his pocket to produce a fresh cigarette. “I ripped the list up, for your information. No one’s the wiser as to how you fit into all of this. Your identity is safe… even from me.”
“I…” I was speechless. “Thank you, Jim. But I’m afraid this is still the end for me.”
He lit the cigarette and puffed twice, “Suit yourself.” With that, he headed back to the backdoor of his home. “For what it’s worth, I doubt we’ll see the likes of him ever again.”
We can only hope, I thought.
But oh, how wrong we had been.